Scrolling Notification

Saturday, 26 March 2011

The world
has been anxiously witnessing Japan's heroic struggle at containing
the radiation from its nuclear power stations damaged by the
earthquake and tsunami of 11 March. Alarmed by the its magnitude,
several countries have been gearing up to review the status of their
existing and proposed nuclear power programmes. How is
India responding to this crisis? As usual,
there has been a flurry of statements and opinions, most of them
crass attempts at promoting the political and business agenda behind
India's proposed $150 billion investments in the nuclear power
sector. Remember how the USA lobbied hard for a nuclear energy
agreement (to prise open the country's high value market to the cash
starved economies of the world), and how the Indian government walked
into the trap). Also recall how a deal to purchase six EPRs
(European Pressurised Reactors) from the Paris-based AREVA at a cost
of around $10.0 billion for the proposed nuclear power project at
Jaithapur in Maharashtra was pushed through hurriedly, during the
visit of the French President to India in December 2010. It is a
matter of concern that not a single reactor of the type being
offered, has been commissioned anywhere in the world until now.
Additionally, consider the fact that Jaithapur with a history of
seismic activity, experienced 92 earthquakes between 1985 and 2005,
the biggest one registering 6.2 on the Richter scale.

Being the
only nation in the world to bear a nuclear holocaust during the
second world war, and continuing to experience around 1500
earthquakes every year, Japan's adherence to safety has been beyond
compromise. Yet the country is facing a calamity today. At the
height of this catastrophe, comes a comment from S K Jain, CMD of the
Nuclear Power Corporation of India:"There
is no nuclear accident or incident in Japan's Fukushima plants. It
is a well planned emergency preparedness programme, which the nuclear
operators of the Tokyo Electric Power Company are carrying out to
contain the residual heat after the plants had an automatic shut-down
following a major earthquake." Show us
thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us salvation...

Friday, 18 March 2011

'What
the hell is going on in this country?' the Supreme Court
asked, while hearing a PIL against Hasan Ali Khan for alleged money
laundering – precisely the question everyone of us is asking, as
scam after scam surfaces, and investigations expose a widening web of
immorality in the system.

The
apex court had a series of uncomfortable questions for the
government. What prevented it from taking Hasan Ali in for custodial
interrogation despite having sufficient material on his illegal
activities? Why is he being charged with tax evasion only, and not
anti-terror laws for his alleged links with arm dealers? Why were
the three Enforcement Directorate officials transferred midway
through the investigation?

The
court expressed its dismay thus: 'There are instances when minor
offenders are shot down for violating Section 144 CrPC, but you don’t
take any action against these people'.

Earlier,
the Supreme Court, unhappy with government's handling of the 2G
Spectrum Scam had decided to monitor the investigations. In yet
another major snub to the government, the court also quashed the
dubious appointment of the CVC.

Aren't
these stinging strictures sending out a clear message? But hear what
the Prime Minister has to say:

“While
the power of judicial review must be used to enforce accountability,
it must never be used to erode the legitimate role assigned to the
other branches of the government. This is vitally necessary to
preserve the integrity and sanctity of the constitutional scheme
premised on the diffusion of sovereign power,”

Time
to stop talking, Mr. Prime Minister. Act. Stem the rot that is
spreading.

Wednesday, 16 March 2011

'Peter
Principle' the popular management theory states, 'In a hierarchy,
every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence'. An oft
cited corollary says, 'In time, every position tends to be occupied
by one who is incompetent to carry out his duties'. When
someone performs well, more is expected of him. The individual who
rises to his level of incompetence by then, uses fuzzy logic to mask
his failures, tries to shift the onus on to others, and creates an
illusion of success. The
CAG's estimated loss to the exchequer in the alleged 2G scam was
first played down as 'presumptive'. Later it was compared to a
subsidy similar to the one on diesel and kerosene, and then, the
blame was rolled out to a coalition partner. The judicial review
that exposed governmental inaction was also not spared. Guess
who I am talking about?

Monday, 14 March 2011

Bouncers,
barbs and gestures are fast bowlers' weapons. They use it to rattle
up and unsettle the opponents. Such intimidatory tactics have long
been a part of the 'gentleman's game'. Sreesanth is no different.
His on-field histrionics have earned him more critics than admirers.
Captain M S Dhoni has been an open critic, publicly 'pre-judging' him
as 'uncontrollable'.To
criticise a player in the dressing room is one thing, but to do it
publicly is disheartening. Sreesanth was not an automatic choice
for the World Cup. Hence, when Sreesanth was picked up by the
selectors to replace the injured Praveen Kumar, he had a point to
prove. In the process, he conceded 53 runs in five overs, and was
sidelined for the rest of the match; perhaps for the rest of the
series as well.Dhoni
would never have thought what Viswanathan Anand felt about Sreesanth:
"If you like kicking a rope, then go for it. If it works for
you, no one can argue".

Friday, 11 March 2011

The
'World Language Research Foundation' says, Malayalam is the most
difficult language of all to learn, and in particular the hardest to
pronounce. Thanks to its disparate consonants! Contributing to this
complexity by merrily putting on strange and incomprehensible accents
are the modern day anchors on Malayalam TV channels.

Into
this 'phonetic jungle', lilts in a cool breeze from Bengal: Shreya
Ghoshal. Listen to the few songs she has rendered. Catch the way
she pronounces each word. Take in those inflections and intonations,
and how well she enlivens the feelings and emotions in the lyric.
Had you been unaware of her origin, you would have accepted her as a
Malayalee singer.

May
our home bred performers learn from Shreya that perfection demands a
positive mental attitude, not misplaced style.